Container corner fitting for bottom lifting



April 7, 1964 A. ABOLINS 3,128,117

CONTAINER CORNER FITTING FOR BOTTOM LIF'TING Filed Jan. 11, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ""lll INVENTOR. AIM/95M 4501 //V3 M QW A TTGPA/EXST April 7, 1964 A. ABOLINS CONTAINER CORNER FITTING FOR BOTTOM LIFTING Filed Jan. 11, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. A/WAFW 4501/46 ATTO/P/VIF/I United States Patent 3,128,117 CONTAENER CORNER FITTING FUR BOTTOM LIFTING Andrew Abolins, Penndei, 1a., assignbr to Strick Traiiers, 'a Division of Fruehauf Trailer (10., Philadelphia, P2,,

a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 11, 1962, Ser. No. 165,477 4 Claims. (Cl. 294-67) This invention relates to freight containers and particularly to the construction of the lower corners thereof to facilitate bottom lifting.

The modern trend in freight haulage is containerized cargo wherein the shipping container itself is a trailer body which, when laden with cargo attains a gross weight in the many thousands of pounds. Such containerized cargo is lifted onto the hold of or onto the deck of a ship or onto a railroad fiat car or other similar conveyances by various means, one of which is to use a lifting frame or mechanism and steel ropes which extend beneath and around the container. At times the ropes extend around the container in vertical planes and at times in planes at inward acute angles. In the former case with conventional containers, the ropes can slip endwise off the container. In the latter case, the ropes can extend at such inward angles as to create horizontal compressive forces of magnitudes sufficient to bend the container. Moreover, the square corners of the conventional containers tend to cut into and weaken the lifting ropes.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide containers with lower corner fittings which overcome the disadvantages inherent in the conventional containers as noted above.

Another object of the invention is to provide lower corner fittings for containers each of which fittings contains bottom, end and side walls and an arcuate groove so cut into the bottom and side walls as to provide not only a rounded bearing surface for the lifting rope but also an end flange to prevent the rope from sliding off endwise.

Another object is to provide lower corner fittings for containers each having a rounded groove to engage the lifting rope, a flange to prevent the rope from sliding off endwise and a shoulder at a predetermined angle serving as a limiting bearing surface for the rope, the angle being such that when the rope is vertically taut against these shoulders in a container supporting position, the horizontal compressive forces are not sufiicient to bend the container. Thus a single corner fitting of the instant invention can serve to retain the lifting ropes in either application where the ropes extend around the container in vertical planes or where they extend around the container at inward acute angles.

Another object is to provide lower corner fittings for containers of the character above described wherein the fittings are also provided with an internal recess and openings through the faces thereof for the receipt of means to couple the containers vertically or horizontally as, for example, in the manner described in US. Patents Nos. 2,972,175 and 2,963,310.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the corner construction or fitting of the instant invention as attached to a corner post;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the fitting;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the fitting;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view illus- 3,128,117 Patented Apr. 7, 1964 trating the bottom lifting of the container with the rope around the container in vertical planes perpendicular to that of the bottom wall of the container; and

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 illustrating the bottom lifting of a container with the rope around the container in planes at acute inward angles to that of the bottom wall.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings wherein similar reference characters are used for corresponding elements throughout.

The container which may be a trailer body or equivalent substantially rectangular unit designed to be laden with heavy cargo comprises top and bottom walls 10 and 12, end walls 14 and side walls 16 interconnected by any suitable means. Preferably, the corresponding end and side walls are secured to vertically extending corner posts 18 which are themselves usually rectangular and hollow.

At the lower corner of each post, a fitting 20 is provided which is generally but not necessarily a cast metallic member. It is generally rectangular having an end wall or face 22 which is either flush or in substantial parallelism With the container end wall 14; a side wall or face 24 substantially at right angles to end face 22 and either flush or in substantial parallelism with the container side wall 16, and a bottom wall or face 26. When the container is adapted for coupling horizontally or vertically to other like containers, as generally disclosed in US. Patents Nos. 2,972,175 and 2,963,310, each fitting is hollow in the sense that it has an internal cavity or recess 28 of predetermined shape for the removable receipt of the heads of coupling units which can be made to extend through an opening 30 provided in end wall 22. The side wall or face 24 may be additionally provided with an access hole 32.

The upper edges 34 of the end and side walls 22 and 2-4 of the fitting are preferably formed in the shape of peaks as seen in FIGURES 1-3, which fit into similarly shaped notches at the lower ends of the posts 18 and there welded to firmly secure the fitting to the post. Additionally, the end wall 24 of the fitting may be provided with a lateral portion 36 which is also welded as at 38 to longitudinal rail members 40 at the lower ends of the container side walls 16.

Cut or otherwise provided in a portion of the bottom wall or face 26 and into a portion of side wall or face 24 of the fitting is a groove 42 which is arcuate and curves around the corner where the bottom and side faces 24 and 26 meet as is evident from FIGURE 1. The groove extends from a point approximately midway of the bottom face 26 as at 44 to a point approximately midway of the side face 24 as at 46, see FIGURE 2. Thus for a portion of its length and towards the side face 24, the end face 22 extends beneath the arcuate smooth rope bearing surface 48 and beyond the same laterally at the side face 24 to thereby provide a generally triangular flange 50 which prevents the rope 52 from slipping endwise off the fitting.

Cut or otherwise provided in the side wall or face 24 of the fitting and contiguous with the groove is a further shoulder or flange 54 which is at a predetermined angle, preferably 45, to the bottom container wall 26 or to the end wall or face 22 for a purpose soon to appear.

In use, the container may be lifted by the ropes, usually steel strands, in the straight manner shown in FIGURE 5 or the angular manner shown in FIGURE 6. In the former, a generally rectangular frame 56 which is connected by appropriate ropes 58 to a central lifting member or hook 60. The container lifting ropes 52 are attached to the corners of the frame 56 and extend around the container and around pairs of corner fittings 20 in vertical planes which are generally perpendicular to the plane of the bottom container wall, as suggested in amen? phantom lines at the left of FIGURE 3. In this position, the rope bears against the groove surface 48 and is prevented from slipping endwise off the corners of the container.

In the angular lifting application the ropes 52 are attached to a centrally disposed spreader 62 which is in turn attached to a lifting member or hook 64. Thus the ropes extend around the container and around the corner fittings at acute inward angles to the plane of the bottom container wall 12 or to the plane of each end wall 14. When the rope is pulled taut in the container lifting position it will bear against the shoulder or flange 54 of each fitting. Thus the shoulders 54 serve as limiting rope bearings beyond which the rope cannot extend, for if it did horizontal compressive forces will be transmitted to the container which at times are of sufficient magnitude to cause bending or buckling of the container. Thus while a 45 angle for the shoulder 54 is generally most applicable, the angle may be otherwise so long as, when the rope bears against the same in its taut container-carrying position, the horizontal compressive forces transmitted to the container are insufiicient to cause bending or buckling thereof. To further render the corner fittings most effective, the radius of curvature of the groove bearing surface 43 should be at least equal to the minimum rope bending radius, which is known in the art as the sharpest radius around which a rope can be bent without impairing its rated strength.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has here been shown and described, a skilled artisan may make minor variations without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a lifting rope, a substantially rectangular container having at least side and end walls and a bottom wall, said side and end walls being interconnected by vertically extending posts, corner members fixedly secured to the lower ends of said posts, and including side, end and bottom faces substantially parallel respectively to said side, end and bottom walls, a groove in the bottom and side faces of said member having an arcuate bearing surface for said lifting rope, said end face of said member including a portion extending below said groove forming a first flange extending substantially parallel to an adjacent end wall to prevent the rope from slipping endwise off said member when said rope extends vertically of said container and in a plane substantially perpendicular to that of said bottom wall, said side face of said member being formed with a shoulder contiguous with said groove and constituting a second flange at an angle to the plane of said first flange to serve as a limiting bearing surface for said rope when said rope extends vertically of said container and at an angle to said bottom wall.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the radius of curvature of said groove is equal at least to the bending radius of said rope.

3. In combination with a lifting rope, a substantially rectangular container having interconnected side, end, top and bottom walls and lower corner members fixed in the container each including a bottom face and a side and end faces in parallelism respectively with said bottom, side and end walls, said bottom and side faces having a continuous arcuate portion providing a bearing surface for said lifting rope, said end face having a portion extending below said bearing surface to prevent said rope from slipping endwise olf said corner member, and a shoulder in said side face at an angle to said end face to provide a limited bearing surface for said rope when said rope extends vertically of said container and at an angle to said bottom wall.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the angle of said shoulder is such when said rope is held vertically taut and against said shoulder in a container supporting position, the horizontal compressive forces will not bend said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A LIFTING ROPE, A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR CONTAINER HAVING AT LEAST SIDE AND END WALLS AND A BOTTOM WALL, SAID SIDE AND END WALLS BEING INTERCONNECTED BY VERTICALLY EXTENDING POSTS, CORNER MEMBERS FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID POSTS, AND INCLUDING SIDE, END AND BOTTOM FACES SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RESPECTIVELY TO SAID SIDE, END AND BOTTOM WALLS, A GROOVE IN THE BOTTOM AND SIDE FACES OF SAID MEMBER HAVING AN ARCUATE BEARING SURFACE FOR SAID LIFTING ROPE, SAID END FACE OF SAID MEMBER INCLUDING A PORTION EXTENDING BELOW SAID GROOVE FORMING A FIRST FLANGE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AN ADJACENT END WALL TO PREVENT THE ROPE FROM SLIPPING ENDWISE OFF SAID MEMBER WHEN SAID ROPE EXTENDS VERTICALLY OF SAID CONTAINER AND IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THAT OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, SAID SIDE FACE OF SAID MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH A SHOULDER CONTIGUOUS WITH SAID GROOVE AND CONSTITUTING A SECOND FLANGE AT AN ANGLE TO THE PLANE OF SAID FIRST FLANGE TO SERVE AS A LIMITING BEARING SURFACE FOR SAID ROPE WHEN SAID ROPE EXTENDS VERTICALLY OF SAID CONTAINER AND AT AN ANGLE TO SAID BOTTOM WALL. 